Schooling Villaraigosa on education and trust

Re “Deal Puts Mayor on Verge of Major School Control,” June 22

So, the mayor also wants to run the school district. Before he starts telling other people how to run their business, he needs to do those things in his own that will improve education. They are the city’s responsibility. He needs to:

* Increase library hours and services.

* Expand park and playground programs.

* Strengthen community policing and gang suppression programs.

* Increase child health and welfare programs.

If he doesn’t understand the importance of these actions to education, he knows nothing about it -- or children.

LYLE N. WHITED

Torrance

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Antonio Villaraigosa was elected mayor a year ago by residents who placed their trust in him. Since then, and regardless of his accomplishments or lack thereof, he has run a superb PR campaign. Villaraigosa is now obsessed with the inclusion of the Los Angeles Unified School District under his responsibilities and is trying to gather support from the California Legislature to achieve his goal and purposes.

Does Villaraigosa not trust the constituency that elected him mayor to support him in the takeover of L.A. Unified, an institution that serves most of the same constituency? Instead, the mayor is placing his trust in the Legislature, where most legislators do not represent Los Angeles. If Villaraigosa does not trust us, should we trust him?

ABEL PLOCKIER

Los Angeles

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Re “ ‘It’s a great deal for our kids,’ ” Opinion, June 22

We are concerned that the mayor has developed a plan for the reform of L.A. schools that leaves out parents. No recognized parent group has been included in the partnership touted by the mayor. Mayoral control does not address the real reasons for student failure. All recognized parent groups in the L.A. school district have been ready and able to participate in reform discussions, but none have been invited.

Almost all research has found that one of the key indicators of student success is parental involvement. We parents, as the representatives of our children, the ultimate consumer of any school district reform, often know best what our children need to succeed. To be left out of the reform plan is shortsighted and inexcusable.

DIANA DIXON-DAVIS

Legislation Director

31st District Parent Teacher

Student Assn.

Van Nuys

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There appears to me to be a sizable disconnect in Villaraigosa’s crusade to take control of the L.A. school district. Whether or not the district is failing, as he has claimed repeatedly, is debatable (in some ways it comes up short; in others it does a good job). But where has the mayor shown that the cure lies in mayoral takeover? How does that radical prescription for full-scale overhaul automatically reduce the dropout rate?

I fear that like President Bush with the heavy-handed No Child Left Behind mandates of recent years, and Gov. Schwarzenegger with his failed education initiatives of 2005, Villaraigosa is the latest ambitious politician with an ax to grind but no proven educational experience, a voracious appetite for power and a trust-me message that simply does not pass muster.

MICHAEL LYON

Culver City